The North Gate

The North Gate near South Broadway and Kingston Drive is the "front door" of Jefferson Barracks County Park.  Over time, the North Gate had begun to show its age with overgrown trees and other vegetation taking over the area.  J.P. Payne, a member of Boy Scout Troop 780 at Bowles Elementary School, planned a landscape restoration of this area for his Eagle Scout project.  In August 2009, J.P., along with other Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, St. Louis County Parks personnel and Trail Crew volunteers, and Friends of Jefferson Barracks volunteers, spent several hours working on this project.  They cleared overgrown brush and planted shrubbery and perennials at the site, following the direction of St. Louis County Parks horticulturalist Doug Wolters and using World War II-era pictures for reference.  J.P.'s grandfather, Larry Payne, donated two concrete benches to replace the ones that had been there during World War II. 

The Coat of Arms of the 6th Infantry is prominently featured on the North Gate.  The white Shield is the color of the facings on infantry uniforms in 1812, the year the regiment was organized.  At the top of the Shield is a silver cross on a red field, part of the Coat of Arms of the ancient Lords of Dun.  It was near the city of Dun that the 6th Infantry crossed the Meuse River in World War I.  The river crossing is symbolized by a wavy base line.  The green alligator symbolizes the heroic service of the regiment in the Seminole War of 1837.  The green scaling ladder commemorates the storming of the Citadel of Chapultepec in 1847, during the war with Mexico.  The 6th Infantry motto "Unity is Strength" is in green letters on a silver scroll.  At the top is a red lion's face on a wreath of the colors of the regiment (silver and red) which represents the service of the 6th in the campaigns in Canada during the War of 1812.

Photos courtesy of P. Galanos, B. Lorenz, and others and are intended for the private use of FJB but are meant to be enjoyed by all.